Exploring Traditional Pali Grammar 2
Kaccaayana sutta 2


In this next rule, Kc 2, the author presents the alphabet or sound
system of Pali. This is the beginning of a series of basic
definitions needed to be able to present the rules of sandhi, or
euphonic combination (such as ida.m ca > idañca). The next few rules
after this one will go on to define vowels, both long and short,
consonants, the ".m" sound and the "vaggas" or classes of
consonants. They are not so complicated, and it should be possible
to include several of them in the next installment. Interestingly,
the explanations (vutti) of these definition-rules usually end with a
cross-reference to another rule where the defined term is actually
employed. That pattern starts here, and will continue through the
next few rules.

Text, rule 2:

akkharaapaadayo ekacattaaliisa /2/

te ca kho akkharaa 'pi a-kaaraadayo ekacattaaliisa.m suttantesu
sopakaaraa honti / ta.m yathaa a aa i ii u uu e o ka kha ga gha ^na
ca cha ja jha ña .ta .tha .da .dha .na ta tha da dha na pa pha ba
bha ma ya ra la va sa ha .la a.m ti akkharaa honti / akkhara iccanena
kvattho / attho akkharasaññaato //

Translation:

2) The syllables, moreover, beginning with 'a' are forty-one (in number).

And those syllables, moreover, beginning with the sound 'a' are
forty-one (in number) (and) are of assistance in the suttantas. As
follows:

"a aa i ii u uu e o
ka kha ga gha ^na
ca cha ja jha ña
.ta .tha .da .dha .na
ta tha da dha na
pa pha ba bha ma
ya ra la va
sa ha .la a.m" are the syllables.

What is the purpose of "syllable"? Meaning is made intelligible
through syllables.

[end of translation]

Words:

a-aadi: 'a' + beginning. i.e. having 'a' as it's beginning, or
beginning with 'a'.
a-kaara: the sound (or letter) 'a'
aadi: beginning, aadayo: plural of aadi
akkhara: _syllable_, letter, sound, phoneme
attho: purpose, meaning, sense
kvattho: ko attho, what purpose
iccanena: iti anena (sandhi: t+i/y before vowel optionally > cc)
iti: 'thus' (usually appears as 'ti' in Pali)
ekacattaaliisa, ekacattaaliisa.m: eka + cattaaliisa, one + forty, forty-one
ta.m yathaa: 'as follows' 'such as' (cpr. seyyathaa)
sopakaara: sa + upakaara, having + assistance (Speaking of which I'd
appreciate assistance with this word, because I'm not confident about
how it's being used here)
honti: (they) are


Notes:

It has been pointed out to me that instead of 'phonemes' it might be
better to translate 'akkhara' as syllable. I do so here, and that
applies retroactively to sutta 1 as well. Thanks!

Based on the vutti, we can expand the sutta as follows: "akkharaa api
a-aadayo ekacattaaliisa /2/" The 'api' has had both its vowels elided
in the rule. I'm not sure if 'api' fulfills a technical function
here. I've translated non-committally as 'moreover', but there might
be more to it.

In the translation I've arranged the consonants according to place of
articulation. This system is explained in detail in the chart in
Warder's _Introduction to Pali_ on page 2. I consider this brilliant
scheme an example of ancient Indian science at its finest.

The syllables from ka > ^na are collectively referred to as the
ka-vagga (ka-group, or gutterals). Likewise the letters from ca > ña
are referred to as the ca-vagga (palatals), and so on. These terms
will soon be defined in this first chapter of Kc. (a coming example
of their application is in the rule for reduplication, where roots
beginning with consonants in the ka-vagga, reduplicate with the
corresponding consonant in the ca-vagga).

The final question appears to me to be asking, what is the purpose of
(definging) the word 'syllable' (akkhara). I.e. why bother defining
it here? The answer is a reference to sutta 1, which employs the term
'syllable'. A similar formula is used in a number of the following
suttas, and amounts to a kind of cross-referencing system. I'm
reading with the PED as kvattho = ko attho but wonder if it might be
kva + attho?

akkhara iccanena kvattho. Literally: "syllable" with this, what purpose?